


Stay With Me

by Rahenna



Series: Ace of Hearts [41]
Category: Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scramble~
Genre: Alcohol, Emotional Support, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Secret Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-22 04:17:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13756128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahenna/pseuds/Rahenna
Summary: When Professor Sakaki receives some bad news, Yuki is the one he turns to for support.





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Uh. Apparently I finished this in July 2017 and then proceeded to not post it for over half a year because I was convinced that it was terrible. High five, brain.
> 
> Anyway, Ace of Hearts is going to be a little less crowded from now on. Yuki's first year had a ton of stories, but now that he's a second year, some of his friends have graduated and his relationship with Sakaki has settled into a comfortable routine. I'll be focusing on major events instead of mundane days.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Contains spoilers for Gakuen Heaven 2. If you intend to play the game yourself, reading this may ruin your fun a bit. :)
> 
> If you want to know more about the Gakuen Heaven series, please visit my fansite for game translations and summaries:  
> [welcome to Heaven](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/)

**Tuesday, June 12, 2018**

"Mm..." I dropped my pencil onto my notebook and stretched my arms overhead with a yawn, glancing down at my phone with tired eyes. Almost eleven, which meant it was probably time to give up on English homework for the night and get some sleep. As I was thinking that, the screen lit up with a notification: _New message from boyfriend._

My pulse quickened, not in a completely good way. It was unusual for the professor to send a message at all during the school week, and especially so late at night when he assumed I was already sleeping. I picked up the phone, chest tight, and opened the message.

_Asahina, come to my room. I need to talk to you._

My fingers were kind of shaky as I typed out a reply. _It's already past curfew, I don't know if I can sneak out without getting caught. Can I call you?_

The response came faster than I expected. _I need to see you in person._

Of course I'd dreamed of being invited to the professor's apartment in the staff dorm after hours, playing out the fantasy in my mind on lonely nights during the school week. I should have been excited, but instead my stomach felt heavy. Something was wrong.

_Asahina, are you there? I need you. It's urgent._

My heart skipped a beat at the words _I need you._

I sent a quick reply - _I'm here. I'll get Tomo to help me sneak out. I'll make up a story. -_ and pulled back the heavy curtains covering the sliding glass doors at the back of my room. I unlocked the door and stepped out onto the balcony without hesitation, knowing that the buzz of cicadas would drown out any noise I made. The door between Tomo's balcony and mine was always unlocked, and I was relieved when I stepped over to his side and saw that his lights were still on.

I tapped on the glass, hoping he hadn't fallen asleep with the lights on again. There was a long pause, so long that I almost gave up and called him, but the lock finally rattled and clicked, door sliding back to reveal Tomo's sleepy face. "Yuki, what do you want so late? I was falling asleep."

"I know it's late, but I really need your help." I edged my way past Tomo and into his room; as usual, it looked like a bomb had gone off, clothes and books and papers scattered over every flat surface - except the bed, of course. I pushed a pile of laundry off the desk chair and sat down.

"Agh, Yuki, that was my clean laundry! How am I supposed to tell it apart from the dirty stuff now?" Tomo plopped down on the bed with an exaggerated sigh.

"I dunno, just sniff it, I guess? Anyway, I need to get to Professor Sakaki's room without being seen, you can do stuff like turn off the security cameras, right?"

Suddenly Tomo was wide awake and scowling at me. "Whoa, Yuki, I'm not helping you sneak out to the professor's room in the middle of the night. Maybe you're lucky, but if anyone even suspected what was going on, he'd be the one to take the hit. Keep it in your pants until the weekend."

"Tomo! That's not why I need to go over there!" I dug my phone out of my pocket. "Look!"

Tomo made a face, but he took the phone without complaining, eyes scanning over the series of texts. "Hm... I can see why you're all worked up. It's not like the professor to sound so, um, needy."

"I'm really worried, Tomo. Do you think his family's trying to pressure him again?"

"Dunno. That might be it, but I think you'd be better at guessing than me." Tomo got up and handed my phone back, motioning for me to get out of the way. "I need to use my laptop if I'm going to hack into the school's security systems."

I jumped up immediately, nearly tripping over the laundry I'd knocked over. "Wait, what do you mean, hack into it? You're the one in control of the security systems, right?"

"Well, yeah," Tomo opened his laptop and punched in the password, "but I can't exactly go leaving a trail with my official account. I have to make it look like there was a malfunction in the system so it's not suspicious. Not that I expect anyone to look closely at the records, but just in case." 

"Oh... I didn't think of that."

"Of course not." He glanced up at me. "Okay, here's the plan. You text me right before you sneak out of the dorm, and I'll let you know when it's safe to leave. Then you text me again as soon as you reach the private entrance to Professor Sakaki's room, and if I don't hear from you again telling me there's a problem, I'll turn the cameras back on again, hmm... how about two minutes later? That should give him enough time to get to the door and let you in."

"Wait, private entrance? I thought you had to go through the staff dorm..."

Tomo shook his head and turned his attention back to the laptop, typing furiously. A moment later, he poked a finger at the screen. "Here's the floor plan for the staff dorm. Every apartment can be accessed from the inside, but each also has a small private entrance, in case someone comes back really late at night, or they want some privacy. This one," he tapped one of two larger apartments near the back of the building, "is the professor's space. And this is the private entrance here."

"Mm," I peered at the screen. "So it's across from the pool building?"

"Exactly. So I'll turn off the cameras along this path." Tomo swept his finger across the screen. "Make sure you follow this path without any detours, okay?"

"Okay, I will." My phone buzzed in my pocket; the professor again. "I'd better get going."

"Yeah. I hope everything is okay..."

"Me too. And... thanks, Tomo."

~~~

By the time I reached the staff dorm, my mind was buzzing louder than the cicadas. I couldn't imagine what had happened to the professor to make him so insistent on seeing me right away. I only knew it had to be something bad. There was no way he would ask me to sneak out on a school night to visit him at the staff dorm just to fool around - besides, he'd told me more than once that it would never happen.

My heart pounded as I approached the spot Tomo had shown me on the floor plan, squinting at the nameplate that was mounted beside the door: _Sakaki Sojiro._ I'd made it.

I pulled out my phone. _Tomo, I'm here._

He responded immediately. _Okay. I'm turning the cameras back on in two minutes._

"Okay," I murmured, reaching out to knock on the door. _Hurry, Professor._

I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds. The door cracked open, a small sliver of light against the dark backdrop of the wall, then it opened fully. I didn't have a chance to say anything before the professor reached out with one arm to pull me inside, closing the door firmly behind me.

My greeting died on my lips as I took in the sight before me, familiar and strange at the same time. Professor Sakaki was always so neat and put together, even when he was dressed casually on the weekends, so it was a shock to see his tie loosened much like the way Tomo wore his, shirt untucked and the top few buttons undone, revealing the white undershirt beneath. More surprising than the disarray of his clothes, though, was the professor's face. His expression was blank, dry lips slightly parted as he breathed with obvious effort, like it was hard to get enough air. His eyes were somehow distant and not quite focused, slightly swollen and bloodshot. My heart froze as I realized that he must have been crying.

I couldn't speak. And I didn't need to. A moment later, the professor's arms were around me, the contact flooding all of my senses with even more information. Instead of the usual combination of skincare products and cologne, I was surrounded by the warm, yeasty scent of alcohol. His body was warm, uncomfortably so, especially his hands where they pressed against my back. And his voice was shaky in my ear as he murmured my name over and over, heavy with a note of despair I'd never heard before, not even when he'd told his friends' story.

All the unfamiliarity added up to a sense of wrongness that left my stomach in knots, and my eyes tingled with the threat of oncoming tears. I wrapped my arms around him, ignoring the hot stickiness of his sweaty back, and hugged him as tightly as I dared. "Professor, I'm here, it's okay. What happened, what's wrong?"

_This isn't like you. I'm scared._

But I couldn't say those things. All I could do was hold him close, not sure if I was only imagining the sensation of his heart pounding against my chest, and wait. My palms smoothed up and down his back, instinctively petting in hopes of soothing him. Maybe it worked, because after a long wait, I finally got an answer, not more than a dry whisper.

"My uncle died."

"Oh no... I'm so sorry." I squeezed him gently. Uncle... why did I feel like the professor had mentioned an uncle before? A moment later, it came to me. "Oh no, you mean Sonoda-san's stepfather?"

"No, that's my father's brother. He's fine, as far as I know." He sighed, pulling away from the embrace, and straightened up. "This was my mother's youngest brother."

"Oh, I see..." I bit my lip, trying to remember if the professor had ever mentioned other members of his family before, but I couldn't think of anything. With the problems the Sakaki side had caused for him, I'd never considered that he might be close to someone from the other side of his family. "Your uncle, were you two close? What happened to him?"

The professor pressed one palm to the side of his head, as if suddenly pained by a headache. "I need to sit down. Come in." He took a few unsteady steps into the apartment, motioning for me to follow. I did, looking around at the unfamiliar space, eyes darting around as I took in the details of the place I'd always hoped to see. Though I'd imagined a much different scenario, of course. It was even more severe than the apartment in town, neat and clean with very few personal items visible, no pictures on the walls or decorations on the shelves, just books and papers. The furniture in the living area was plain, probably stuff that was provided with the dorm space instead of something the professor had chosen himself. 

He led me to the small couch and sank down into it with a heavy sigh, leaning back with his eyes closed. I sat down too, close but not too close, unsure of how to react to his dark mood. But he'd hugged me as soon as I showed up, so that meant he wanted to be touched. I scooted over to sit right next to him, nervous tension draining as his arm slipped around my waist. I'd guessed right.

Sitting side-by-side like that, I caught the smell of alcohol again, and I couldn't help frowning. An open, nearly empty bottle of sake sat on the coffee table next to his cell phone. There was no cup in sight. Had the professor been drinking straight from the bottle? Before I could summon up the courage to ask him about it, he began speaking.

"We weren't very close, but he was a decent man. Once a family's that high up in social standing, it's hard to be a good person. Too much pressure to do what's expected and make a profit than to stand up for what's right. But he did well enough for someone in a position like that, never involved in any scandals, didn't cheat on his wife, didn't even drink outside of social situations." Professor Sakaki snorted. "In other words, better than I've done."

I wanted to protest, to point out that he'd been stuck in a terrible position with no one to help him find the way out, but I bit my tongue and let him continue.

"More than all that, he was kind to me. He knew my father reasonably well, and he knew we didn't agree on anything. Out of all my relatives, he was the only one who ever told me that it was okay to follow my own path instead of mindlessly obeying my parents' wishes. I was the one who had to live with myself and my own decisions, that's what he always said." The professor offered a humorless smile. "And also that I'd better be the best damn teacher possible, or I'd be wasting my talent. I'd like to think he would have been satisfied with the quality of my work."

"I'm sure he was, Professor. It's easy to tell that you care about teaching."

He shook his head. "I didn't keep in touch with him after university, because seeing him would mean attending big family functions, and I avoided those as much as possible. Anything he knew about me as a teacher would have been filtered through my father, and that means it was nothing but complaints about how I was a rebellious, ungrateful son."

"Oh..."

"And even though my uncle kept his nose clean and lived like a decent person, he was taken out by a aneurysm. A blood vessel in his brain exploded while he was sitting in a chair, reading a book. No warning signs, nothing in his recent physicals, just gone like that." He snapped his fingers. "Meanwhile, every nasty old bastard in my family who's spent his life drinking and smoking and sleeping around is going to live to be a hundred."

"I'm really sorry, Professor. That sounds so unfair..." I squeezed his arm lightly. "Please don't feel bad about not seeing him in a while, I'm sure he understood that things were complicated."

"That's true. I'm sure he knew it wasn't a good situation for me. But I could have called him, or met him for lunch, or even sent an email. I thought about it sometimes, but I always told myself that it never felt like the right time or I was too busy to risk getting entangled in family issues again." He pressed one hand to his forehead, shading his eyes. "Now it's too late."

"Professor..." I turned my body slightly so I could wrap my arms around him, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"That's why," he continued, free hand sliding up my back to touch my hair, "you need to spend less time with me, and more with your family and friends. You never know when it's going to be too late. I won't have you living with that sort of regret, Asahina."

"What?" I sat up, looking him right in the eyes. Watery, wavering eyes. I knew that look. It was the same way Tomo had looked at me during the Bell One, when he was trying desperately to hold back all the feelings that were breaking him from the inside. There had been a darkness inside Tomo, and sometimes I could still see it there when he was tired or worried, and it was there inside the professor too. My face colored with shame - how had I failed to notice that _both_ people who were most precious to me in all the world were fighting the same battle? 

Because the professor was good at hiding things, even more than Tomo. Tomo had finally learned to rely on others, to ask for help when he needed it. The professor still struggled to do everything himself, falling back on the excuse that I was 'too young' and it would be 'improper' to burden me with adult worries.

_You're still hiding important things from me. Don't you realize that's another way of lying, Professor?_

I bit the inside of my lip to keep it from wobbling. It hurt that he was holding things back, but I knew it wasn't meant to hurt me - more than anything, he wanted to protect me from the unpleasant things in his own past. He didn't understand that I wanted to share those burdens with him, and it would be easier if we carried them together, just like how Tomo had finally learned to let me help him when he was feeling low.

Now wasn't the time to confront him about any of that, though.

Instead, I shook his arm. " _You_ are part of my family now, Professor. I'm not going to regret spending time with you, especially when you're hurting like this."

"Asahina," he sighed, and I expected him to argue with me. Instead, he reached out and pulled me close again, burying his face in the side of my neck. "You're too good for me..."

Was I imagining it, or was the sensation of wetness against my neck real? "That's not true." I kissed the side of his head, then nuzzled my face against his hair. Why was he always saying things like that, calling me 'too good' and implying that he was 'bad' in some way? I'd confronted him about it before, but... well, maybe right now it was the alcohol talking. "I'm just being myself. You too, Professor, you're a wonderful person, why else would you be feeling this way right now? A bad person wouldn't be so upset about missing the chance to spend time with someone, or angry about how unfair it is."

He sighed against my neck, but didn't protest, so I took that as permission to press a little. "The funeral will be soon, right? Are you going?"

The professor pushed away so suddenly that I fell back against the cushions, but he didn't seem to notice. He was on his feet in an instant, waving his hands as he began to pace the room, footsteps heavy and somewhat unsteady. "I don't _know,_ Asahina, how can I know that? Everyone else will be there, I can't face my father or my brother or even my mother right now. They'll turn it into a circus like they always do. Especially now, after I've told them to get out of my life. If I slink back there like a pathetic dog with my tail between my legs, what do you think is going to happen? Nothing but barely veiled digs at my character, how I was such a disappointment even to my poor uncle who was always _so nice_ to me, but I couldn't bother contacting him." 

He stopped and turned to look directly at me. "And once they milk _that_ for all it's worth, they'll start in on everything else! How I'm so ungrateful and childish for clinging to my pathetic little teaching job instead of working for the company, how I'm a disgrace to the family for refusing to get married and settle down, and why can't I be a nice obedient son like my idiot brother? Maybe because there's more to life than simply doing what you're told and pleasing your parents, who don't care about anything but money and status! Or because I refuse to do immoral things to get ahead? But those are _weaknesses_ in my character, didn't you know that? I'm not truly committed to living up to my obligations if I'm not willing to step on anyone who gets in my way. That's the Sakaki way."

I didn't know what to say. Denying it wouldn't help; I'd met the professor's brother after the Bell One, and my impression hadn't been a good one. From what little I'd heard about them, his parents weren't much better, and were probably worse since they had more influence. Not for the first time, I felt distant and disconnected. I couldn't understand what he'd been through because I couldn't imagine a family that wasn't warm and close and caring like mine. I was sure he didn't want me to understand it. That's what Tomo had said too, when I tried asking about the couple that had adopted him.

_You're better off not knowing some things, Yuki._

He ran one hand roughly through his hair with a ragged sigh, glancing at the sake bottle as if tempted to finish it off. "The problem is, I _want_ to go. If I don't, there will be even more talk about me, but that's not the worst of it. My uncle will be disappointed. I didn't see him when he was still alive and now I'm considering skipping his funeral instead of honoring him. It doesn't get any more selfish than that."

I hated feeling powerless. "Selfish, that's not..."

His eyes darted to my face, widenening slightly as if he'd forgotten I was there. "Asahina. You'd never do something so cowardly, you would be strong and go and not care about what anyone says. But I'm over here torn between being a good son and nephew and actually showing up, no matter how badly I'm treated in person. If I don't go, people are going to talk about me behind my back - as if that's not already happening! So why do I care? I don't _know!_ "

Was he wobbling? How much did he drink, anyway? I was starting to think it was more than the nearly empty bottle on the table. "Professor, you don't look so good." I got up and hurried to his side, steadying him. He leaned heavily against me, his body unnaturally hot. "Um, maybe it's not my place to say something like this, but... now might not be the best time to make a decision. You're probably in a bit of shock from the news. Why not get some rest and think about it more tomorrow?"

"It's not going to be any better tomorrow," he grumbled.

"Maybe not, but your mind will be fresher, right?" I looked around, trying to figure out where the bedroom was. The apartment wasn't all that big, so any guess had a reasonable chance of being right. "Here, why not wash your face and lie down? That would feel nice."

His familiar snort tickled my ear. "Asahina, are you trying to put me to bed like a grumpy child?"

 _You said it, not me, Professor._ "Um, not exactly..."

"It's fine." He sighed again, straightening up. "I _am_ tired. But you're wrong about trying to look at it differently in the morning. I have to go, there's no getting out of it. And I want to go, but also can't face going. There's no escape. Sometimes you have to march straight through hell."

"That does sound like a problem," I murmured. "But let's think about it more tomorrow, okay?"

Professor Sakaki looked like he wanted to protest, but he bit back his reply at the last moment and gave a weary nod. "Fine. Maybe you're right. It's better than sitting around here feeling sorry for myself, anyway. This way."

I followed him to the bedroom, which was just as neat as the rest of the apartment, but had a somewhat more lived-in look. Books were piled on the nightstand, and the bed looked like it had been hastily pulled together in the morning. I found myself unconsciously relaxing; the evidence of the professor's presence reminded me of our safe space - the apartment in town.

"I'll be right back," he mumbled, disappearing into the bathroom.

I sat down on the bed, holding back my heavy sigh until I was sure the door was closed behind him. What was I going to do? Was it possible to do anything at all? No matter what decision the professor made, he was going to be hurt. He wanted to go, but what would happen if he did? Even if he was only imagining the worst possibilities, saying that his parents would accuse him of all sorts of things... well, his brother sure didn't seem like the type to forgive and forget. He'd definitely try to stir up trouble. And if the professor stayed away to avoid being harassed, then he'd feel like he was betraying the uncle who'd believed so much in him.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and plopped my chin in my hands with a sigh. "Which way is best? I don't know..."

I didn't have any answers. All I could do was try to be encouraging.

Was that enough?

As I was pondering it, the professor emerged from the bathroom, dressed in the pajama set I'd given him for his birthday. He looked, well, kind of worn out. Tired, and maybe a bit old, with dark circles under his eyes and all of his usual sharpness faded away to dull resignation. I jumped up from the bed immediately, twisting around to turn down the blanket and motion for him to get in.

He settled down with a quiet sigh of relief and mumbled words I'd never expected to hear.

"Stay with me, Asahina."

My spine stiffened with surprise and excitement. It took a few seconds to find my voice, forcing myself to sound calm as I replied, "Um, I don't think that's a good idea, Professor."

"I don't want to be alone now, Asahina. That's why I called you here." He watched me with tired eyes, his entire face looking completely drained. "Please, stay."

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I was tempted. Of course I was tempted, even though I knew the professor was in no state to want anything more than the comfort of being held close. But more than that, I was worried. _How much are you hurting right now, that you'll beg for something that would normally be unthinkable?_

"I... I can't, Professor, it would be really bad for you if anyone suspected I was here. But," I reached out, taking his hand in both of mine, "I'll watch over you until you fall asleep. I'll be right here beside you, holding your hand. So you can rest easy and let me take care of you. Okay?"

His face clouded a little, probably with disappointment, but he nodded. His fingers curled around mine, cold and clammy. "Don't go until you're sure I'm asleep."

"I won't leave you," I promised.

It didn't take the professor long to doze off, but it felt like an eternity with my mind turning the problem over and over, trying to find a solution that didn't exist. It wasn't the same as helping Tomo, listening and offering reassurance as he complained about the awkwardness with Suzubishi-san or how it felt weird to intrude on him and Professor Ito. Tomo wanted to be part of their family and knew they were good people. But Professor Sakaki... he didn't want to be involved with his family at all, but still felt like he couldn't escape their expectations.

Did he really want to escape? I couldn't help thinking the reason why the professor couldn't get away was because he didn't really _want_ to. It was like he still hoped they could change, that they could become a warm and accepting family. And I also knew that he thought it was impossible. People don't change without good reason, that's what he'd said, and his family was perfectly happy to continue as they were. They were stubborn, set in their ways, not willing to make allowances for someone who wanted to live life in a different way.

I petted the back of the professor's hand, smiling sadly as he squeezed my fingers. It was too sad. Family wasn't supposed to be like that, only caring about appearances and not people.

_I'll be your family, then. I'll push you to be better, but not to be someone you aren't._

I couldn't imagine what it was like to feel so torn, to want acceptance, but to know that it would never be given without betraying everything he believed in. It wasn't like the professor believed in anything that was horrible or wrong. From what he'd said, his family was just like the board of directors, only concerned about profits and appearances, not caring how their actions affected other people. Of course, it was all nice on the surface. The Sakaki Group was involved in all sorts of businesses, and I'd seen their pretty ads in magazines and on billboards, all showing smiling people and happy families.

Too bad their reality was the complete opposite.

Still, I couldn't accept that the people who raised such an honest, hardworking, and sensitive person could be all bad. I was sure the professor's parents were strict and harsh, just like he was with the students. The professor pushed everyone hard because he believed in us. Didn't that mean his parents were doing the same? There was no way they didn't understand that the professor could learn things quickly and apply new ideas efficiently. Any complaining about his choice to work as a teacher might be coming from a belief that he could do anything he wanted, if he put his mind to it. In that way, it was kind of like how Suzubshi-san was starting to put pressure on Tomo, not wanting him to waste his potential.

Maybe Professor Sakaki's parents had good intentions and were really bad at expressing their feelings. They didn't understand that the professor wanted to help students directly instead of managing a school or whatever. All they could see was that he was talented, and they thought it was wrong to use that talent in a limited way.

I sighed. Or maybe they thought it was wrong to use it in a way that didn't make a ton of money.

There had to be a way to make them understand that the professor's way was right too. Maybe even _more_ right, because deep down he wanted to do even more, to find a way to help other kids who were like his middle school friend. Money and talent, those things were meant to be used to help people, not hoarded or fought over. Adults didn't really seem to understand that.

I jumped at a sudden loud noise, reflexively pulling my hands back to my chest. The professor snorted, rolling over onto his side without waking up. And then the noise started up again.

"Ahaha," I breathed with nervous relief. Professor Sakaki was snoring! Honestly, it was a familiar sound, but I was surprised by how loud it was. Maybe that was how things were with us in the beginning, when he was still smoking, but I didn't really remember. When he snored, all I had to do was poke him with my toe until he rolled over and stopped. 

Right now it seemed like the snoring was going to continue all night, though. Well, that definitely meant he was fast asleep, so it would be safe to leave. I got up from my seat at the edge of the bed, leaning over to press a kiss to his temple.

_I wish I could do more for you, Professor. I'm sorry._

But maybe I'd done enough for the moment. After all, he called for me, and I came to him. Of everyone in the world, I was the one he turned to when he was hurting. Maybe it was wrong, but that made me feel kind of happy and proud.

I'd feel even prouder if I could think of a way to help with the impossible problem, though.

I crept from the bedroom, taking care to avoid bumping into anything that might make noise, and slipped outside into the night.

~~~

**the next morning**

"Ugh," I grunted, rolling over and pulling the blanket up over my head to keep the offending sunlight from stabbing at my eyes. The sudden change of position made me aware of many things at once, none of them pleasant: the uncomfortable fullness of my bladder, the sudden swirl of dizziness that made the bed feel like it was about to slide out from under me, and the acidic feeling of my empty stomach. Oh, and the fact that my head was throbbing like it might explode at any minute.

I let out an aggravated sigh. "Really, a hangover?" I muttered into the pillow, wondering how long it had been since the last one. Probably that pre-graduation party back in university.

I pushed back the blanket to greet the day with a reluctant grumble, wondering what the hell had prompted me to drink so much. Fractured scenes drifted through my mind as I lurched about the apartment, taking care of each problem in turn. While I was washing my hands after simultaneously drinking and releasing a ridiculous amount of water, it finally came back to me.

The phone call. My uncle. And...

"Asahina..." I stared into the mirror, suddenly wide awake. I'd called him over to the staff dorm, ignoring all of my personal rules - not to mention school rules - in my moment of weakness. That probably hadn't been an alcohol-fueled hallucination.

I popped a couple of aspirin and made my way to the living room, making a face at the nearly empty bottle of sake on the table. My phone was there beside it, and I snatched it up, heart racing as I opened the conversation with 'treasure,' eyes scanning over the texts. There were several unread comments, the most recent less than ten minutes old.

 _I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you last night._  
_I hope you're feeling okay._  
_Don't worry, Professor Ito is covering homeroom, and it sounds like Professor Ishihara will take care of your classes today._

"Crap, what time is it?" A quick glance confirmed that first period was about to start. Even worse was the confirmation that Asahina had seen me as a complete mess, half-drunk and probably blubbering about everything from regret at not contacting my uncle to worries about how my family was going to react when I showed up at the funeral. Or not. I searched my brain, trying to remember what I'd said to him, but everything was a blur, like someone had dumped water over the memories before they'd had a chance to set in my mind.

"Hmph, more like alcohol," I snorted, shaking my head. Bad move. Everything swayed, and I had to sit down on the couch before the floor escaped from beneath my feet. I sighed again. There was no way I'd be able to make it to class before noon, if at all.

I looked down at the phone again and tapped out a message.

_Sorry you had to see that shameful side of me yesterday._

As expected, he responded immediately.

 _It's not shameful to be sad about losing someone important._  
_Anyway, I'm glad you called me._  
_I don't know what you should decide, but I'm always here for you._  
_Are you feeling any better?_

Asahina really was too good for me. Of course, if I said that, he'd get angry, so I settled for simply answering his question.

 _I have a terrible hangover, as you might expect._  
_I'm too focused on that to think about my uncle or my family right now._  
_Don't worry about me. I'll text you again when I'm feeling better._

There. That was enough to put Asahina's mind at ease. I waited for his reply.

 _Okay. Get lots of rest and don't forget to eat something!_  
_I love you._

No matter how many times I saw those characters printed on the screen, my heart still raced every time they appeared.

 _Me too._  
_Class is starting now, isn't it? Pay attention and work hard._

I didn't wait for his response; if I gave Asahina the chance, he'd text me all day. I put the phone back on the table and tilted my head back, sighing deeply. It was going to be a long, uncomfortable, and headache-filled day.

~ end ~


End file.
